The present invention generally relates to a battery .cndot. terminal provided on the electrodes (battery .cndot. posts) of the battery mounted on an automobile and so on, and more particularly, the battery .cndot. terminal is adapted to be mounted from the above portion in the vertical direction so as to improve the operationality, and so on.
Generally, this type of battery .cndot. terminal has an electrode engagement portion 3a of the battery .cndot. terminal (hereinafter referred to as terminal) 3 externally engaged with the battery .cndot. posts (hereinafter referred to as posts) 2 projected from the top face of the battery 1 as shown in FIG. 13, a bolt 4 extended in a horizontal direction into the bolt hole of a basic plate portion 3b and a clamping plate portion 3c, a nut 6 clamped from the horizontal direction with an impact wrench 5 being laid flat horizontally with respect to the bolt 4, the terminal 3 secured to the post 2 with the electrode engagement portion 3a being in pressure contact against the post 2.
In recent years, established components have become extremely numerous within the engine compartment of the automobile to have a very high density therein. Projections (for example, air ducts) higher than posts, and electric wires are provided more around the battery. When the bolts 4 are arranged in the horizontal direction as described hereinabove under such situation, and the nuts 6 are clamped with the impact wrench 5 being laid flat, the impact wrench interferes with the other parts and is hard to clamp. The impact wrench cannot be clamped with no space for installing thereof in the horizontal direction.
When the impact wrenches interfere with the other components, for example, the clamping operation of the post on+side is effected, a short circuiting operation is caused if the impact wrench comes into contact with the post on side so as to cause the vehicle fire in the worst case. In order to prevent the above described interference, there is a problem that the other parts have to be changed in shape.
A battery .cndot. terminal where a bolt 4 is arranged inclined at an acute angle with respect to the axial line of the electrode engagement portion of the terminal 3 and the nut 6 is adapted to be clamped from the oblique upper portion by the impact wrench 5, as shown in FIG. 14, with respect to the above described problem (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-7567.)
A basic plate portion 3b' and a clamping plate 3c' are formed oppositely so that a taper spreading downwards is provided, a tightening plate 7 whose both sides are downwards spread is astride the above described basic plate portion 3b' and a clamping plate 3c'.A basic plate portion 3b' and a clamping plate 3c' are clamped by the tightening plate 7 by the clamping operation of the bolt 4 from above. A battery .cndot. terminal is provided which is adapted to depress the electrode engagement portion 3a' against the post 2 (Japanese Utility Model Publication Jitsukohei No. 4-9736.)
In the above described battery .cndot. terminal conventionally provided, torsion is added with an angle so that the basic plate portion 3b and a clamping plate 3c may be inclined with respect to the axial direction of the electrode engagement portion 3a so as to clamp the nut 6 from the oblique upper portion in the above described terminal. As the clamping direction between the basic plate portion 3b and the clamping plate 3c formed with this angle torsion is different from the direction in which the electrode engagement portion 3a comes into pressure contact against the external peripheral face of the battery .cndot. post, thus resulting in a problem that the clamping force cannot be burdened sufficiently in the pressure contact direction of the electrode engagement portion.
In a battery .cndot. terminal shown in FIG. 15, the clamping force of the bolt is externally spread and both the sides 7a, 7b of the tightening plate does not burden sufficiently the internal clamping force upon the basic plate portion 3b' and the clamping plate 3c', with a disadvantage that the electrode engagement portion 3a' cannot be put into positive pressure contact against the post 2.